FotoMoto

Finally reached a point that it's a roller and got it out of the garage for a little sunshine and some pics. Two Brothers header centerstand stop works with my modded VTEC exhaust system (much relief) and I trimmed the CBR lower for a better fit. I think I'll eventually paint these black as a tribute to the original 4th gen look. I still need to do the left side but here's some pics of the right. IMG_1901.jpg IMG_1898.jpg IMG_1890.jpg IMG_1908.jpg IMG_1884.jpg

Got busy with the dremel on the RC45 fiberglass. A cutting wheel designated for plastic on medium speed cut thru it like a knife thru butter. Please note that these are all rough cuts in need of sanding/finishing. First, I measured and trimmed the muffler cut outs. I erred on the side of loose due to heat considerations. Next was the seat. IMG_1866.jpg After those was the RC51 brake/tail light. IMG_1869.jpg IMG_1873.jpg I'm very happy with the first fitment results. I will need to make mounting brackets for the front and rear. Both will be quick disconnect. Why? Because I want to. :joystick: Also notice that I got the front turn signals (hanging not mounted in previous pics) and headlights working too. (need to post this in the Phase I thread). IMG_1878.jpg Overall, I'm really, really happy with the side profile lines of the bike. Once I get it painted, the tail won't stick out like a sore thumb against all the VFR red-ness! The ill fitting superhawk tank bra I had laying around does an OK job of hiding the mismatch of the RC tail and the VFR tank but a VFR specific bra will be MUCH better. Opps. Just realized I forgot to put the front fender on to complete the look for the pics. I'll make sure to do that next time when I trimmed the silver lowers. IMG_1865.jpg

Just got it in today from air-tech in a box so friggin' huge I thought my wife had order furniture or something! This is an RC45 replica tail. The Mike Hale edition specifically. For those who may not know, Mike as a rather big guy for a racer (little Miguel Duhamel was his team mate) and simply could not fit on the race spec 45. Airtech built a special longer seat pan edition just for him and still sells it today. I decided to go with it as I thought it would give me more leeway for trimming at the tank/frame spare juncture and give me more wiggle room on the road. With fingers crossed I tried an initial fitting but it would not go on. The VTEC undertail and parts of the subframe were too wide by about an inch on each side. So I pulled out the dremel and got busy. Now I can get it nearly all the way on to see where it will need to be trimmed, tucked, and/or cut to flush fit. It's very close as is. A testament to how close the RC45 and 4th gen are in overall size and layout. IMG_6087.jpg IMG_6086.jpg IMG_6088.jpg The two biggest areas of concern are the mufflers (yellow circle) and seat pan. Those will need the most extensive cutting. I placed the gixxer sargent seat on it for the pic. The longer Mike Hale edition will give me enough room for a real "selfislhy wasting bandwidth" pad for more comfort/support. Obviously the seat will not sit up that high as I will need to cut out the seat pan to lower the seat down to the frame rails for support. cutout.jpg IMG_6079.jpg At this point, I don't know how I will bolt down the rear half. The front section will use the standard VFR lower mounts with an bracket to bridge the difference. I'm pysched that it's as close as it is right out of the box. Did I mention how big the box was?

Continuing on with the rear subframe, I did a lot of head scratching trying to figure out where to put everything: fuel pump, fuel lines, rear coils, wire harness, main fuse assembly, R/R, and spark unit. As previous mentioned, I needed longer battery cables since the battery is in different location and further back from original. I also lengthened the fuel lines and relocated the pump to the rear section. I even found places to attach the rubber sleeve thus keeping the pump suspended in the air. KG9K7798.jpg KG9K7800.jpg The fuel filter remains in the stock location for the time being. [ KG9K7799.jpg I also put the spark unit back there but on the other side. KG9K7784.jpg Moving the spark unit necessitated moving the entire rear wiring harness from the left side over to the right. The coils, main fuse block, and R/R all reside where the rear brake m/c and linked brake/abs guts would be on the vtec. The R/R is mounted upside down on the mail rail (see arrows). I'm getting a gsxr r/r which is MUCH larger and later on will relocated that to the rear passenger section. KG9K7781.jpg KG9K7782.jpg Everything is tidy and ready for the next step; getting some bodywork. KG9K7784.jpg

Well it's been three long months waiting for this day, 4GSP lives! :goofy: I got the two brothers header hooked up to the leo vince vtec pipes, installed new battery with new, longer power cables ($9 made locally), hooked up fuel tank, crossed fingers, and pushed the button. OK, so it sounds like it's running on 3 & 1/2 cylinders but it's still music to my ears. I'm adding "tune up" to the all ready long list of things to do but this thing might actually roll a wheel in anger one of these days.

I haven't been working on it too much due to work and other commitments but have made some important progress. First: A slightly modified stock 600rr fairing stay works better than my more highly modified first attempt. Some grinding on the mount end for clearance gets it positioned just about right. It's slightly off center this way but my first attempt which corrected this introduced other more significant issues. I can live with but it might drive anal types kerr-razy. Only 1 of the two holes line up. I haven't decided if I will run it with just one (it's very sturdy) or drill the steering neck mount for the second hole(gulp), or fab a link between the two misaligned second holes. Also, the RR stay is aluminum, much lighter than the steel vfr unit, and much cheaper than I thought ($55 @ servicehonda). IMG_6049.jpg IMG_6050.jpg IMG_6051.jpg Second: Although it's an additional expense, I've decided aftermarket gauges are a simpler solution than trying to use the stock unit. IMG_6056.jpg Third: Even with the stock 600rr stay, fairing panel alignment will bolt up using 3 of the 4 stock vfr mounting points! The left bottom (by the kickstand) is the only one that's way off and will need a hole drilled. The stock side frame mounting brackets simply need to be loosened and rotated forwarded/upward on their axis's. Some bending and/or filing of the locking tabs will need to be done but that's it! Suh-weet! IMG_6046.jpg IMG_6047.jpg IMG_6064.jpg IMG_6065.jpg Fourth: the lowers will need to be trimmed at the rear for centerstand clearance. Maybe not if running no stand but rear exhaust collector could also be an issue. I don't know for sure since I'm running a TBR header with slightly different routing. IMG_6071.jpg Fifth: Ram air duct panels covers the coils perfectly. Issues are the stock coil/radiator brackets stick up too high and need to be cut off, no problem since they aren't used now, and the panels need to be trimmed at the tank junction for aesthetic reasons. IMG_6058.jpg IMG_6062.jpg IMG_6063.jpg IMG_6070.jpg Sixth: The 600RR upper fairing stay uses two cheap ($3) mirror/windscreen reinforcement brackets. Get these. You can bend them forward on their mounts to push the windscreen upwards/forwards for additional steering clearance. Even with my high/wide superbike handlebars, I have no clearance problems. Stock clipons "should" be a breeze but I can't test that (sold stock bits). IMG_6054.jpg IMG_6055.jpg IMG_6052.jpg That's how it stands right now. Waiting on gauges and a few other things to arrive and I'll be done with parts but the list is veeeeeeery long on all the little things I need to tidy up or solve. I don't for see any big issues with the front end now. yipp-eee!